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Mike Baker (9:01)

Back to the PDB the White House says a March airstrike in Yemen killed the Houthi's top missile expert. Yet nearly three weeks later, the Pentagon has still declined to confirm it. As we've discussed here on the PDB, the 15th of March strikes were the largest American military operation in the Middle east since President Trump returned to office. It was billed as a response to a Houthi campaign of missile and drone attacks against commercial shipping in the Red sea. More than 100 attacks have been launched since 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and the Houthi leadership says their actions are in solidarity with Hamas. While defense officials have been quiet about the claim, the White House was quick to declare the mid March mission a success. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CBS News just days after the strikes that American forces had taken out, quote, their head missileer. That sent journalists everywhere scrambling to their dictionaries to find out if Ms. Alier is actually a word. Just kidding. Nobody uses dictionaries anymore. Come on. As you may recall in the exposed Signal Group chat by the Atlantic, remember that? Which included Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete HEGSETH, Vice President J.D. vance, among other administration officials, and of course, the Atlantic's editor in chief. Waltz touted the killing in real time, claiming, quote, positive ID of the, quote, top missile guy entering a building that was then destroyed. But behind the scenes, doubts have set in. Defense officials, speaking anonymously to Reuters, say there's still no confirmation the intended target was killed. The Pentagon, which typically validates high value kills within days, declined to comment. Inquiries are now being punted back and forth between the White House and the military, neither offering confirmation. Independent analysts are similarly unconvinced. Open source intelligence experts tracking Houthi communications report no mention of the death of the commander of the terror group's strategic missile forces. According to the foundation for Defensive Democracies, the missile commander effectively serves or served, depending on his condition, as a Houthis top missile architect. Experts warn that the Houthis have a habit of delaying death acknowledgments, especially when senior commanders are involved. The Joint Staff's operations Chief, Air Force Lieutenant General Alexis Grinkowicz, offered a more generic assessment in the 15 March strikes, saying that they hit a drone facility and, quote, several key leaders. Still, the American strike campaign has taken its toll. On Monday, Trump declared the terror group had been, quote, decimated, posting on Truth Social that, quote, many of their leaders are no longer with us. Israeli military sources speaking to Channel 12 backed that claim, saying the Houthis now possess only a fraction of their ballistic missile launchers. Much of that reduction is thanks to recent joint Israeli American strikes across northern Yemen. As for whether the Houthis top missile expert is among the dead, well, that answer remains unknown. But U.S. officials say the terror group's production capacity has been throttled in the ongoing strikes. Okay, shifting to Israel. A burgeoning foreign influence scandal is threatening to engulf Prime Minister Netanyahu's inner circle as two of his senior aides stand accused of covertly pushing pro Qatari narratives to journalists, according to newly unsealed court documents. The case, dubbed Qatar Gate because you have to put gate at the end of any scandal these days, centers on allegations that longtime Netanyahu advisor Jonathan Yorick and former spokesman Eli Feldstein accepted payments in exchange for manipulating Israeli media coverage to portray Qatar, a key intermediary in hostage negotiations with Hamas, in a favorable light. While undermining Cairo's role, Israeli police have leveled a sweeping set of charges. Bribery, fraud, money laundering, breach of trust and unlawful contact with a foreign agent, language that underscores the gravity of the inquiry and the potential legal peril facing both individuals. They remain in custody through at least today with a judge ruling there exists, quote, reasonable suspicion they engaged in unauthorized public relations activity on behalf of a foreign government. According to court filings, Feldstein was recruited by the Third Circle. That's a US Based lobbying group operated by pro Qatar operative Jay Footlick. To amplify narratives bolstering Qatar's diplomatic role, investigators believe Israeli businessman Gil Birger served as a conduit for these payments, funneling money from Footlick to Feldstein during the former spokesman's tenure. Inside the prime minister's office, public broadcaster Khan aired audio last month of Birger acknowledging he had funneled the payments on Footlake's behalf, with Feldstein allegedly instructed to present Doha's talking points as insights from senior Israeli defense officials, a move that, if substantiated, could suggest international efforts to launder foreign propaganda through the Israeli security establishment. Urich, for his part, is accused of facilitating the entire arrangement and presenting the messaging to journalists under the guise of internal government sourcing. It's a particularly damning allegation given his long standing proximity to Netanyahu. The scope of the probe widened earlier this week with the inclusion of Jerusalem Post Editor in Chief Zvika Klein, who traveled to Qatar in 2024 and published an effusive report detailing his interactions with senior Qatari officials. Klein, now suspected of unlawful contact with a foreign agent, maintains his visit was conducted at the official invitation of the Qatari government. However, internal police memos suggest Feldstein may have orchestrated the trip while still on the government payroll, a claim that Klein denies. While not a suspect himself, Netanyahu has been questioned by police amid allegations that Urich may have leaked classified cabinet material. The prime minister responded with defiance, releasing a video accusing authorities of holding his aides, quote, hostage and branding the investigation a political hit job. Last month, Netanyahu's cabinet voted unanimously to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronan Barr, a move that, according to several petitions now before the high court, was aimed at crippling the Qatar gate probe. Netanyahu is denied the charge, but Barr, in a letter to ministers obtained by Israeli media, appeared to validate the concern. The court has since frozen his dismissal pending review. At the investigation center lies a simple yet explosive premise that Qatar, through covert payments and carefully orchestrated media campaigns, sought to shape Israeli public perception and influence wartime decision making, reaching deep into the prime minister's office through a network of well placed intermediaries. Alright, coming up next in the back of the brief, a federal judge shuts down the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams permanently. We'll have those details next.

Josh Hammer (16:08)

Like a bull in a China shop, Donald Trump came in to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. but with his bold reform and rejuvenation agenda comes so many legal questions nationwide. Injunctions. Are they constitutional? What? What's the deal with birthright citizenship? What about the administrative state? Can he actually clean the deep state and end the politicization of the federal bureaucracy? I'm Josh Hammer, host of America on Trial with Josh Hammer. Subscribe to America on Trial with Josh Hammer for your daily updates on all of these questions and more. Like a bull in a China shop, Donald Trump came in to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. but with his bold reform and rejuvenation agenda comes so many legal questions. Nationwide. Injunctions? Are they constitutional? What's the deal with birthright citizenship? What about the administrative state? Can he actually clean the deep state and end the politicization of the federal bureaucracy? I'm Josh Hammer, host of America on Trial with Josh Hammer. Subscribe to America on Trial with Josh Hammer for your daily updates on all of these questions and more in today's.

Mike Baker (17:09)

Back of the brief, it looks like New York City Mayor Eric Adams and can breathe a sigh of relief regarding his federal indictment on allegations of foreign corruption. As a brief reminder, Adams was indicted last September accused of accepting illegal gifts and contributions from Turkish nationals during his mayoral campaign. Allegations further claimed that once in office, Adams pressured city officials to grant favors to foreign interests in exchange for political support. Well, On Wednesday, the U.S. district Judge for the Southern District of New York dismissed the corruption case against Adams with prejudice, which means that the charges can't be brought again at a future date. The ruling comes after the Department of Justice requested in February that the case be dropped, arguing the proceedings were interfering with the mayor's ability to govern, thereby impeding the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. According to a report from the Associated Press, the move by the DOJ was controversial, to say the least, and prompted eight federal prosecutors to resign over concerns that political considerations were taking precedent over prosecutorial decisions. U.S. district Judge Dale E. Ho appeared to agree on Wednesday, saying he was extremely troubled by the DOJ's rationale. Ho wrote, quote, everything here smacks of a bargain dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions. Still, Ho said his hands were essentially tied and that he had little choice but to dismiss the indictment, as US Courts don't have the authority to compel federal prosecutors to pursue charges. It's worth noting, however, that the DOJ had requested that the judge dismiss the charges without prejudice, meaning they could have revived the indictment down the road. Judge Ho rejected that portion of the request, arguing that it would, quote, create the unavoidable perception that the mayor's freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration, end quote. But the politics of this case are not one sided. Adams and the Trump DOJ have both argued that the indictment brought under the Biden administration was political retribution for Adams sharp criticism of former President Biden's lax immigration policies. For his part, Adams praised the judge's decision to drop the case. Well, that makes sense, stating he had done nothing wrong and that the charges should never have been brought. As for allegations of political favoritism, Adams pushed back, saying, quote, I have always been solely beholden to the people of this city. No special interests, no political opponents, just everyday New Yorkers, end quote. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Thursday 3rd April. Now if you have any questions or comments or suggestions, don't forget for Liberation Day traditions, just reach out to me at pdb@thefirst tv.com. and don't forget to listen to the show ad free. Well, it's simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. see? I told you it was simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. It.